sports If Marshall Morehead can coach soccer like he can play it, the Hastings boys soccer team is going to be really good, really quick.
If his name sounds familiar to soccer fans, there's good reason for it.
He was the state's first Mr. Soccer in 1996 at Stillwater. He was a high school All American, played...
Hastings, 55033

Hastings Minnesota 745 Spiral Boulevard 55033

2013-06-13 18:55:17

If Marshall Morehead can coach soccer like he can play it, the Hastings boys soccer team is going to be really good, really quick.

If his name sounds familiar to soccer fans, there's good reason for it.

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He was the state's first Mr. Soccer in 1996 at Stillwater. He was a high school All American, played collegiately at University of Wisconsin-Madison for one year, and then three at Marquette. After graduation, he played professionally for the Minnesota Thunder for three years.

Not a bad resume, right? It sure caught the attention of Hastings athletic director Tom Johnson, who hired Morehead earlier this summer.

"He's just another outstanding individual that we are really excited about bringing on board," Johnson said. "He has a great soccer background, and just a very good person. I think he will be welcomed by the soccer community here in Hastings as someone who will continue to build the program."

Morehead has eased into coaching over the years and is coaching a team with the Thunder Academy. One of the players on that team is Jake Niemann, the son of former Hastings coach Jim Niemann.

When Niemann resigned, he told Morehead about the opening.

"I thought I would take a look at it," Morehead said of the Hastings opening. "Once I talked to Tom about the opening, and after meeting Tom and a couple of the parents, I felt like it was a good fit for me personally and a good time for me to get into a high school program."

To this point, Morehead's coaching experience includes competitive summer and off-season club teams, including some within the Thunder Academy.

"I love to teach, and I love to coach the game of soccer," he said. "Not in this country, but everywhere else, it's pretty much the No. 1 sport. It's a beautiful game."

Who he is

Morehead is married and has a 1-year-old son. They live in Wayzata.

"I'm really looking forward to the opportunity that is in the Hastings community," he said. "I plan on being involved in more activities outside of varsity soccer coaching there. Having prior experience as a fairly competitive player, I feel like I can help kids, at whatever age they may be, to achieve their soccer goals."

Chad Richardson is the publisher and editor at the Hastings Star Gazette. He was the general manager of the Farmington Independent and Rosemount Town Pages from 2000 to 2007. He previously worked at the Star Gazette from 1996 to 2000 as a photographer and reporter. He also worked as a photographer and writer at the Pope County Tribune in Glenwood.